Kearney

A retired Loyola College professor pleaded guilty yesterday to murder in the shooting deaths of his estranged wife and stepson in York County, Pa., avoiding a possible death sentence. A day after jury selection began in his trial, Donald B. Hofler, pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder in the April 2004 shooting deaths of Rita Knighton Hofler, a 48-year-old Harford County schoolteacher, and her son, 17-year-old Kevin Gehring. Hofler, 71, faces a maximum prison term of 40 to 80 years at his sentencing, scheduled for September, according to a York County prosecutor.

FREDERICK -- South Carroll often struggled on offense last night. The Cavaliers managed to put together only one hot streak.But that was enough.Nikki Spencer, Lindsey Vosloh and Amber Clutter sparked a second-half run in which No. 9 South Carroll scored 20 of 26 and the Cavaliers rallied for a 48-39 victory over Bishop Kearney (N.Y.) in the opening round of the first Lady Cougar Invitational at Frederick Community College.South Carroll (6-1) advances to the championship game today at 3 p.m. against Middletown, a 46-39 winner over Holy Cross in the other first-round game.

COLLEGE PARK -- After West Virginia quarterback Jake Kelchner studied films of Maryland's defense last week, he smiled."I was happy to see them play the way they played," said Kelchner. "Their defensive backs played really soft and we thought we could throw on them."Nothing new. Virginia and North Carolina ran up big passing numbers on the Terps the previous two weeks. So did Kelchner last night.The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior completed 15 of 19 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He had completions of 40, 67 and 18 yards as the Mountaineers ran up 542 yards of total offense and defeated the Terps, 42-37, at Byrd Stadium.

On December 3, 2006, GEORGE WILLIAM ADDICKS, JR., of Joppa, MD, beloved husband of the late Clara F. Kearney Addicks, devoted father of Wayne T. Addicks, Jerry L. Addicks, Sherrie L. Simpson, Suzette L. Butler and the late Loretta Shuff, loving brother of Ronald Addicks, Robert Addicks, Shirley Evans and the late V. Gordan Addicks. Also survived by seven grandchildren. Services will be held at the family owned McComas Funeral Home, P.A., Abingdon, MD, on Wednesday, December 6, 2006, at 10 A.M. Interment will be in Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, Timonium, MD. Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday, December 5, 2006, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. Those who desire may contribute to Northern Chesapeake Hospice Foundation, POB 2332, Elkton, MD, 21921.

On July 12, 2006, JOHN JOSEPHSALKAUSKAS, beloved husband of the late Doris Marie Salkauskas; dear father of Janet M. Kearney (Tony), Jay C. Salkauskas (Charmane), and the late John R. Salkauskas; loving grandfather of Karen, Mike, Jill, Tod, Sean, Joy, Jeff, and Channing, cherished great grandfather of Tyler. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Grace Salkauskas, and sisters Helen and Dolly Salkauskas. Family will receive friends Saturday from 3-5 & 7-9 P.M. at STERLING-ASHTON-SCHWAB-WITZKE FUNERAL HOME OF CATONSVILLE, INC., 1630 Edmondson Avenue (1 mile west of Beltway Exit 14)

Mayor O'Malley said yesterday that he is not opposed to a Major League Baseball franchise in the Washington area, prompting a critical reply from Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos. In response to a question at his morning news conference, O'Malley said the Washington area has many "die-hard Orioles fans" and that he hoped they would continue to come to Baltimore to support the Orioles. But then O'Malley added: "I'm not opposed to them having a team." That didn't sit well with Angelos.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is accusing a 48-year-old former employee of stealing nearly half a million dollars from church accounts over the past three years. In a news release yesterday, the archdiocese said an internal investigation showed that Victor George Puotinen, an employee for about five years, took $443,000 from accounts at the Basilica of the Assumption parish and at the archdiocese's headquarters. Puotinen has not been charged with a crime. Margaret T. Burns, a spokeswoman for Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy, said yesterday that her office received information about the case last week and is investigating.

Susan Proto, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park, was talking strategy last night."Keep the ball down, because when it goes into the air, it's easy to catch," she said.It could have been baseball she was describing until she added, "Unless you can kick it so far that no one can catch it."Proto was talking kickball, a sport that attracted 170 Maryland students to the school's first intramural kickball championship tournament last night.Maryland and the University of Nebraska are the only two schools in the country that offer the sport, which most students hadn't played since they were wearing hand-me-down sweat shirts and corduroy reversible slacks.

In the Kiswahili language, "baraka" means blessing. Few words could more aptly round out the title of the acclaimed documentary The Boys of Baraka. The film, which follows the moving, funny, often-harrowing 2002 journey of four "at-risk" boys from the harsh and desolate streets of Baltimore to a tiny boarding school in Africa, has served up a bounty of surprises. "We knew we had a rich subject," says co-producer Rachel Grady, who along with partner Heidi Ewing worked on the movie for 3 1/2 years.

Cardinal Gibbons senior Brendan Tully and his teammates won't soon forget May 19, 2006. That was the day they attended the funeral of former teammate and 2005 graduate Justin Fisher just hours before losing a title game that was dedicated to their friend and mentor, who was killed in a police shooting. "I've kept every newspaper clipping from last season, and the couple of pictures, images and all the words really jump off the page at me and put me right back there," said Tully, the Crusaders' goaltender.